


A Trial of Strength

by FuryTigresse



Series: After The Nightmare [11]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Devil May Cry 5 Spoilers, Family, Family Bonding, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Post Devil May Cry 5, Post-Game(s), Spoilers, Vergil is becoming a pretty decent dad, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 00:57:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18840358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuryTigresse/pseuds/FuryTigresse
Summary: [Spoilers for Devil May Cry 5] While the Sparda family is out on a particularly long mission, Nero suddenly collapses, unconscious, during a battle. That's when they discover that his bigger portion of human blood makes him more prone to getting sick.





	A Trial of Strength

**Author's Note:**

> I rewrote this four times before being okay with it ^^' I ended up going with this version because it was taking me so long to write it that I was kind of forgetting what I was going for between each writing session, as I handwrite every single fanfic in its entirety before typing it (if you saw my new icon, that's what it looks like before it gets typed :p).
> 
> This happens a few months after _Part of Him_ , and Vergil had a lot of time to get used to his new ability since then. Someday I'm gonna make an official timeline for this series, but that day is not today xD
> 
> English isn't my first language and I type pretty quickly, so please let me know if you spot weird sentences and/or typos!

Nero slashed the last demon in two with one last battle cry. His throat was sore from so much shouting, but he paid it no mind as he turned, spotting both father and uncle watching him. He placed the Red Queen on his back again and barked out a laugh.

"What, impressed by my skills?"  
"Actually kid, your technique _could_ use some finesse," Dante teased him, letting Devil Sword Dante disappear.  
" _Finesse_. I'm surprised you even know that word," Vergil commented, the Yamato emitting a sinister sound as he got the blood off of it, bringing it back to its sheath afterwards.

The twins exchanged a _look_ and Nero frowned, noticing that. He wasn't sure what _that_ was about. Eh, whatever. For now, he was paying more attention to the fact that his throat was really painful. Maybe he really shouldn't yell so much when fighting. Maybe that was why his father was quiet most of the time except for a quick "don't move!" or "cut you down!" when he was in a fight.

"So uh, anyway, what's our next target?" he asked, making the half-demons turn towards him.  
"There were reports of a portal in the next town," Vergil answered, starting to head back to the van. "That's where we're going."  
"Portals everywhere. That's what, the sixth one? Do you think there's another sword that can open those? I mean, we _know_ it's not the Yamato's doing," Nero grumbled.  
"That's what we'll find out, kid," Dante huffed.

They got into the van, Nico getting up the moment they stepped in. She frowned when she saw that they had no materials with them.

"Hey, hey! Why did you guys come back empty-handed?"  
"It's not our job to grab shit for you!" Nero retorted.  
"How in the world do you want me to make awesome stuff without them materials?!"  
"Believe me, Nico, those guys didn't have anything interesting for ya," Dante intervened, sitting on the couch and stretching. "C'mon, let's get to our next target."

Nico hesitated, but ended up deciding not to argue. Nero spotted a tiny satisfied smirk on his father's lips as the older man sat at his usual spot at the table. The Devil Hunter himself went for the passenger's seat, reaching out for a water bottle. Maybe that would help his throat.

"All right, next target it is," Nico mumbled, sitting back in the driver's seat and starting the engine. It would take an hour to get there at least, so Nero closed his eyes and propped his feet up on the dashboard. He had no intention to speak any more than strictly necessary until then.

***

Unfortunately for Nero, his sore throat didn't get better over the next few hours. On the contrary, it actually got worse after their last battle of the day, as they settled in an empty field to camp in the van, to the point where he had a lot of trouble sleeping that night. He woke up feeling weird and tired, but he kept quiet as they all got prepared for the day. His throat was killing him.

"Where we goin' today?" he asked once he was ready.  
"We got several reports up north," Nico told him, looking at the online map they had been provided with, their contractor being pretty generous, considering that he _did_ ask them to find the source for the demon infestation and take care of it. "Apparently they got demons aplenty out there."  
"And one portal," Vergil added, voice tight. "There are rumors of people seeing Scudo and Proto Angelos in this region."  
"'What evil lurks, I must destroy', was it?" Nero quoted thoughtfully, remembering the first time he had encountered those with V.  
" _I was unaware that you paid such attention to my words,_ " V suddenly said, appearing by Vergil's side in a flash of blue. His voice was filled with irony. " _It is quite the honor._ "  
"Fuck off."

He took a sip of water, trying to soothe his throat, and closed his eyes to try resting a bit more while Dante sat with a yawn, waking up after a quick I'm-done-getting-prepared-let's-sleep-some-more nap.

"It's getting crowded in here! Hey V."  
" _You never change, Dante_."  
"Why would I change? I'm already perfect as is!"  
"Your counting skills could use some work," Vergil retorted, pulling out two books, one for himself and one for V.  
"C'mon, Vergil, I got better at it! And why do you have a book for him? He's you!"  
" _Not quite_ ," V chuckled, taking the book Vergil was handing him. " _However, I would not expect one such as you to understand._ "  
"I'm not _that_ dumb!"  
"Hey assholes! Would you fucking shut up already? I'm trying to get some sleep," Nero growled.

He hadn't exactly slept all that well, so he'd try resting while he could.

" _Pardon us. Dante never was a quiet one,_ " V said with an amused smirk.

The Legendary Devil Hunter was about to protest, but decided against it and instead got comfortable on the couch again to sleep some more. V sat next to Vergil, on the other side of the small table, while Nico started the van and lit herself a cigarette. The last part was definitely not helping Nero's throat, but he decided to keep quiet about it and sleep instead.

They went in comfortable silence for about half an hour before they got close enough to their destination to start seeing the demons that were plaguing the tiny village. Nico woke them up.

"Up and at 'em, ladies and gentledevils! Actually, that sounds terrible, scratch that. The important thing is that we got demons in sight and they're startin' to spot us!"

The twins were on their feet, weapon in hand, within a second. Nero, however, took longer to get ready. He had just managed to fall asleep. Damn it. His nose felt stuffed, forcing him to breathe through his mouth, which was definitely not helping his throat.

"Come on, demon boy! We're almost on 'em!" Nico nagged him.

Nero groaned as he got up, feeling groggy enough that he didn't even notice Vergil shooting him a glance. "I'm ready," he grumbled, sword on his back and gun in its holster. "Fucking Hell. Let's get this shit over with."  
" _It would do you some good to stay on guard,_ " V warned him. " _These are not mere minor demons._ "  
"What he means is, don't get your ass kicked or else your old man's gonna be pissed off," Dante chuckled.

Vergil chose not to comment that, but Nero barely even noticed. He was so tired.

"Okay boys, ready?" Nico shouted. "GO!"

She spun the van around so that the men could throw themselves out, Nero via the passenger's window and Dante using the door. Vergil warped out and V stepped out of the van after everyone was further away, summoning Griffon and Shadow. He snapped his fingers once he was outside and Nightmare spawned above the soon-to-be battlefield, crushing enemies as he landed and almost squishing Dante in the process.

"Watch it, Mr. Poetry!" he yelled.  
"Gotta get good, Dante," Nero teased despite not feeling too good.

He revved the Red Queen's handle as he jumped right into the melee, flames sparking down the blade. He quickly planted his sword in the ground to pull out the Blue Rose when he saw a demon fast approaching. The bullets hit the demon right in the face, and Nero put his gun away to grab his beloved blade once more. He had forgotten to get some Devil Breakers before heading out, so instead he just used a spectral arm to bring a Hell Caina closer, smacking it in the face with his other arm once it was within range. From the corner of his eye he could see a Scudo Angelo battalion, led by two Proto Angelos. Vergil was busy slashing them into tiny pieces, deadly precision incarnate. V was also fighting, although he was a bit further back. There was Urizen too, Nero could see the ginormous fireballs scorching the battlefield and the sparks of lightning. And Dante? Dante was-

"Nero, look out!" the younger twin warned him just as his vision blurred, leaving him dizzy and unable to know where the enemy attacking him was.

He vaguely registered Dante suddenly appearing by his side using his Trickster style, stopping the blade that had been about to stab him.

"Gotta be careful, kid! I told ya not to get your ass kicked, or else your old man will- hey. Nero!"

The young Devil Hunter registered exactly none of that. Before he could even say anything, he collapsed, unconscious, and Dante barely blocked the next hit.

"Nero!" he shouted, hoping that would wake the boy up.

A mistake. He felt a terrible wave of pure cold energy from somewhere further ahead, in the middle of the Angelos. Two other ones answered the first almost immediately, and Dante knew that he and Nero had to get out of there. He took his nephew in his arms, Devil Sword Dante vanishing, and he ran.

" ** _SLAY ALL,_** " three voices echoed at once.

Dante put all his energy into one Trickster warp. He reappeared further away, the end of his coat completely gone but Nero still safe in his arms. He sighed in relief. That had been _way_ too close. If losing the end of his coat was the price for survival, he really didn't mind paying it. If he had been any slower, he would have become minced Dante meat with a marinade of Nero blood.

"Told you he'd be pissed off," he mumbled as he reached the van. Nico had moved it much further away, as usual, to avoid it getting caught in the fight, and Dante had never been so glad that she did.  
"Holy crap! Is he okay?" Nico gasped, seeing Nero unconscious. "Where's papa bear?"  
"Not here, and believe me, you don't want him around right now. He's finishing off those demons by himself, and then he'll take care of the portal, and it's better if we don't get in his way."

He put Nero down on the couch and made sure he hadn't been wounded. He couldn't smell any blood, but better be safe than sorry. If he left a wound untreated on his nephew, he knew Vergil would be on his case later on.

"All right, you don't seem hurt... now, why the Hell did you faint?" he muttered. Then, louder, "hey, Nico! What could make a grown man faint like that?"  
"Lemme see what he's got. I'll answer that after."

***

" _That was quite the... splurge of demonic energy._ "  
" **They didn't even deserve it! Puny pests. They were unworthy of our _full_ power.**"  
" _You know as well as I do that wasn't our full potential._"

V placed a hand on Vergil's shoulder, not minding the thick layer of blood that covered him. " _What do you say?_ "  
"..."

The half-demon took a deep breath as he used the Yamato to close the portal. With that done, he headed towards the van, ignoring the mountains of tiny, finely chopped demon pieces on his path as he made both V and Urizen disappear. He reached the vehicle and stepped in without caring much about potentially dirtying the inside of the van with all the blood on him.

"... a high fever, so yeah, it's prolly just the flu," he heard Nico say.  
"The flu? How the Hell did he catch that?" Dante asked, confused. "He's got demon blood!"  
"But less than you and papa bear! And we've been goin' to a lot of new places."  
"Places with demons, not people."  
"Still new places. Who _knows_ what we're breathin'."

Vergil glanced down to the couch and saw Nero there, pale cheeks flushed red. He seemed to be sleeping, but whatever dreams he had, they didn't look to be good ones, seeing how his entire body kept twitching and struggling.

"He's good, Vergil," Dante said, looking at him.  
"..."  
"You can go and wash up, all right? I'll stay here and keep an eye on 'im."

Right. His brother was smarter and more sensitive than he usually let people think. Vergil nodded without a word and went to take a shower and wash his clothes. Luckily, he had a change of those in the van, so he wouldn't need to walk around naked while they dried. He started with washing himself, sighing when he got underneath the spray.

He had... well. He had felt the need for pure violence grow in him when he had seen Nero collapse. From where he had been, he hadn't seen what had made his son do so, but it had made something snap inside of him. Next thing he knew, he was in Sin Devil Trigger form, V and Urizen both powered up from the sheer amount of demonic energy he was emitting, and they were all busy destroying everything that dared exist in their general vicinity. The last time he had lost himself like that had been when Anna had screamed in horror after seeing Kaiden get killed. Vergil had then taken care of every demon in sight without really noticing it until it was already done. This time, he had noticed, but he hadn't fought the need for blood. He was just glad he hadn't hurt Nero in the process.

Oh, and his brother, too, although Dante would have been just fine anyway.

Vergil felt a bit better once he was clean and dressed once again, his previous clothes set out to dry, except his coat, which seemed to take this whole regeneration thing to another level, absorbing blood that got on it and leaving no trace of it after a few minutes. He was wearing it on top of his change of clothes when he stepped out of the bathroom with a sigh. Nico was apparently gone for now, probably to gather demonic parts. Dante was reading a magazine, glancing up at Nero once in a while. He got up when Vergil approached.

"I'll head out and see if I can help Nico."

He did exactly that, and Vergil sat at his usual spot, knees slightly spread and elbows resting on them. His frown was deeper than usual, his gaze on his son. V appeared next to him with a flash of blue.

" _The boy is stronger than you think_ ," he said in a low voice.  
"I don't doubt it," Vergil replied coldly.  
" _Well, that is certainly not what your mind is telling me._ "  
"Stop."  
" _Thou art I, I am thou. This connection we possess cannot be broken._ "

The half-demon shook his head, looking at Nero. V rolled his eyes a little and touched Vergil's shoulder.

" _Out with it. I may know your intentions and feelings, but not every single thought of yours. However, I do know that you would never summon me without a reason. That is a certitude._ "  
"I've never caught such an illness before."

There was a slow smile on V's lips, and he spun his cane a bit before using the tip to point at Nero. " _Can I see a falling tear, and not feel my sorrow's share?_ "  
"V."

The frail man chuckled. " _Pardon me. It seemed quite... fitting. Moreover, I believe this is the first time you address me using my name._ "

He squeezed the shoulder he was touching, his smile disappearing as his expression became entirely serious again.

" _But enough jesting. Your grief is mine, for we are one and the same. The worry tugging at your soul is tugging at mine as well. However, do know: the boy is strong, and this mere human affliction will not end him._ "  
"I know this."

V's smile came back, this time out of amusement. Such a proud, foolish man, living his entire life in pure denial.

" _I see. Since you do not require my help for anything, I shall take my leave, then._ "

He disappeared, which made Vergil sigh once more. This ability of his kept evolving day after day. It was now more akin to the way V himself summoned his demons, ironically. The more he used V and Urizen, the more they grew as their own selves. V, in particular, grew quickly, as Vergil actually enjoyed summoning him out of fights and getting his input on various events. Like Nero falling ill. For some reason, V didn't seem too worried about the young Devil Hunter, so Vergil decided to keep calm. Still, it had probably been quite serious for Nero to just collapse in the middle of a battle like that, so he'd keep an eye on him.

"... urgh..."

The half-demon glanced toward Nero when he heard him groan. He saw his son open his eyes, then close them immediately with a hiss.

"Ugh... urgh, shit... I feel like crap... the fuck happened...?"  
"You collapsed and were almost killed by a demon. If you weren't feeling well, why didn't you tell us?" Vergil asked, severity in his voice.  
"Fuck off..."

He coughed, and Vergil mentally winced, his supernaturally sharp hearing picking up some kind of rattling noise in Nero's chest. That sounded pretty bad.

"Rest."  
"I can't. Can't fucking breathe."  
"You should still try to sleep."  
"Everything hurts," the Devil Hunter complained in a low voice, reopening his eyes.

Vergil got up and went to touch Nero's forehead, touching his own with his other hand for comparison. His son was burning hot like the Red Queen right after using Exceed.

"You really need to rest, Nero," he sighed, sitting back.

' _V, you gotta rest._ ' Nero blinked, but shook his head. That... was familiar, although it had been the other way around. "I told you. I can't."

His voice sounded so hoarse. Vergil could feel the annoyance growing inside him. Not at Nero, but at this ridiculous illness. Demons, he knew how to deal with. Wounds, he could bandage at least, or help prevent them altogether by putting as much demonic energy as possible into Nero's clothes. But an illness? He was being defeated by a microscopic enemy. And he had no idea how to fight it, or at least how to help Nero's body fight it. He'd probably need plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. But even that, Vergil was wondering if it would help at all. He ended up getting up and going to get a bottle of water, bringing it to Nero.

"Drink," he ordered him.  
The Devil Hunter shook his head. "Throat's fucking sore."  
"You still _need_ to drink."  
"Know that for sure?"  
"Nero."  
"Okay, okay. Fine."

He winced at the first sip of cold water reaching his throat, and Vergil took a mental note to keep one bottle out of the fridge.

"This is terrible," Nero whined. "Do I really need to?"

The half-demon couldn't contain a tiny huff. The situation wasn't amusing, far from it, but Nero rarely had such childish reactions in front of him. It was... actually kind of endearing. And it was a weird time for any kind of paternal instinct to wake up. He wasn't sure what to do with it, but luckily V appeared by his side, a smile on his lips.

" _It appears you are in quite the predicament. Yes, drinking this water is necessary._ "  
"It fucking hurts though!"  
" _As did my body while it was crumbling. Yet I kept going, as that certainly was for the best. Drink, and sleep._ "  
"You know what, V? You're not my fa- never mind."

That got a dark chuckle from the frail man and a little smile from Vergil. Nero had been about to say that V wasn't his father, but he had stopped because it might be insulting for Vergil too, since V was a part of him. Although, the half-demon wouldn't have minded. He knew that Nero had met V before even knowing about Vergil existing, so it made sense that the boy would see V as his own, different person, especially now that he was pretty much back.

" _Whatever the case may be, you cannot hope to win against this illness if you do not rest and keep your body hydrated_ ," V added, and Nero let out a little groan of pain. Even holding that stupid bottle was hurting him, his skin being oversensitive with fever.  
"... fine."

He closed his eyes as he drank, missing Vergil shooting V a grateful look. When he lowered the bottle, he had finished half of it. "Enough?"  
"Passable," Vergil agreed, taking the bottle as V disappeared. "Now, get some sleep."

Nero sighed, but nodded and tried to find a comfortable position. They hadn't brought any blanket, so Vergil took his coat off and let his son use it as one. It made the Devil Hunter grin despite everything hurting. He would never admit it, but he actually really liked it when Vergil let him borrow his coat.

"Thanks, dad."

Vergil nodded, then settled at his usual spot with a book in hand. He wouldn't go anywhere. He might be useless at helping Nero fight off the flu, but at least he'd stay there for moral support.

***

The rest of the day went by without any other incident. They spent the night right where they were, since Nico was busy working with the demonic parts she had found anyway. Nero somehow managed to sleep through the night, but the next day found him struggling in his sleep, soft groans passing his lips, his skin even hotter than the day before. Dante wordlessly grabbed Cavaliere and headed to the closest city to buy some supplies, starting with a thermometer and medicine. They had to make sure that Nero's fever wasn't too high and, if it was, that they could lower it.

The younger twin came back an hour later with a bunch of things that might help. They started by waking Nero up just enough to take his temperature. The poor guy was barely conscious as they did so, feverish to the point where he didn't react much to anything they said, and with reason. Dante's eyes widened when the thermometer beeped.

"Forty point five, in Celsius. Shit. That's _really_ high. Hey, Nico, know any way to break a fever?"  
"My mother used to make me drink plenty of water and she'd use a cold cloth to make me feel better," the inventor answered, coming closer, leaving her work unfinished. "But this is too high, I ain't sure it's gonna work. A doctor would do better."  
"Vergil?"

The older twin shook his head. "We don't know the effects of portals on a sick person."  
"We're talking about your _own son_!"  
"I _know_ , Dante."  
"Then why? It's worth a try! He needs this!"

Vergil shook his head again. "Nero is strong. A mere virus will _not_ stop him."  
"You're just being a stubborn dumbass!"  
" _Dante_." His voice was cold, filled with warning.  
"Just- give me the Yamato! If you're not gonna get your own son some medical help, I'll do it!"

The air was crackling with energy, both twins barely suppressing their inner devils. Nico was quiet, not wanting to get caught right in the middle of a fight between two powerful beings.

"Nero is part demon, Dante. Like us."  
"He still needs-"  
"Humans know we exist. But very few would treat a demon instead of killing him."

And Vergil knew he was partly to blame for that. He had been responsible for the Qliphoth, for the death of so many people, for all the demons that had invaded Red Grave City and killed everyone they could find. _No one_ in their right mind would think a demon capable of kindness after that. And Nero was still Sparda's kin despite his mostly human blood. Who knew what a doctor could do to him after discovering his nature?

"I'm not being difficult, Dante," he said in a low voice, glancing towards Nero. "He's safer here."

In his weakened state, Nero might not be able to struggle if someone experimented on him after finding out about his demonic heritage. Vergil had been on the receiving end of enough experimentations already. He wished none of those for his son.

Dante sighed, all fight leaving him. Fine. His brother had a point.

"... you're right. Getting better at being a father uh?"

The older twin kept quiet. Dante didn't push any further. Instead, he took out the medicine he had bought.

"Van treatment it is. Can't let Kyrie or the kids catch that, so we can't bring him home. Wanna go get a wet cloth? Let's try making this a little easier on him."

Vergil got up wordlessly, went to get a cloth, wet with cool water, and got on his knees next to the couch, pressing the cloth against Nero's face and neck. The cold feeling made his son groan, but Vergil kept the compress there. He hoped V was right in saying that Nero was strong enough.

***

It took a full day before Nero's fever went down a tiny bit, and yet another one before it went away completely. Nero had actually ended up sleeping through most of it, his body hurting too much and being too weak for him to even try getting up for longer than going to the bathroom. Plus, whenever he was awake, he had to deal with pretty much coughing his lungs out, which exhausted him even more than he already was.

At least now he was just sleeping peacefully and his fever was gone. Vergil relaxed just a touch and sat back at his usual spot. He hadn't slept since Nero had gotten ill. They had all decided to keep going the day after that happened. The demons and the portals wouldn't wait for them to be ready. However, Nico had driven more carefully, Dante had gone and fought the demons, and Vergil had only stepped in to close the portal when there was one. He had refused to leave Nero on his own in the van for two reasons: first because Nero was too weak to really defend himself if anything happened, and second because he didn't want the boy to try and join them if he woke up and noticed that both his father and his uncle were gone. So, instead of going himself, Vergil had sent V and Urizen to fight for him. It had been plenty enough.

Dante chose that moment to come back with bags of food in his arms. He had used Cavaliere to go shop for supplies once they were done with a group of demons and a portal, since they were running low and Nico would no doubt be too busy gathering parts to drive them to the nearest town. Vergil had looked wary when Dante had said he'd go buy food but, for once, the younger twin had bought exactly zero pizza.

"I got chicken noodle soup," he said, putting the bags down. "And other ingredients as well. Healthy ones. Thought you could make the kid something good."

He started pulling out everything he had bought, making Vergil nod, a little impressed that his brother had bought so many things that would actually taste good together. He knew Dante wasn't as dumb as he made people think he was, but still. He hadn't expected his brother to do this.

"I'll figure something out," Vergil replied.  
"Good. How's Nero?"  
"Sleeping."  
"Fever?"  
"Gone."  
"That's a relief. You were right: he's strong."  
"Of course he is. He's my son."

Dante had a smile on his lips as he finished putting every bit of food where it belonged. "I think that's the first time I hear you say that."  
"Your _point_ being?"  
"I'm just glad you feel proud enough of him to claim him as your son."

Of _course_ he was proud of Nero. What else did Dante expect?

"Anyway, never mind me, brother," Dante huffed. "I'm just happy for the kid."  
"Happy for me? Why?" Nero suddenly asked, making both half-demons turn towards the couch.

The Devil Hunter's voice was hoarse, but it still sounded much better than before, and he didn't seem as weak or as confused as he had been. Vergil strained his hearing, but he couldn't hear the rattling sound he had heard in Nero's chest even when the young man stretched and yawned. That was good.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, kid," Dante greeted him.  
"Ugh. Don't remind me. How long have I been out?"  
"It's been three days since you collapsed," Vergil answered.

Nero spun to look at his father, immediately noticing the dark circles under his eyes.

"Three days," he repeated with a sigh. "Tired?"  
"No."

It made the Devil Hunter smile a bit. No matter what he said, his father still looked exhausted. He could remember him being there and helping when he woke up to cough. He had been very feverish and barely conscious, but he could still somewhat remember.

"Well, I'm better now."  
"Got enough in ya for some food?" his uncle asked.  
"As long as it ain't pizza."  
"Well your old man forbid me to buy any!"  
"Damn good thing he did, urgh."

That got him a small huff from Vergil and a falsely offended look from Dante. They both knew Vergil had done none of that.

An hour later, they were done eating a great, healthy meal prepared by the older twin. Nico was still nowhere to be seen, so they made sure to keep some for her. Dante leaned back with a stretch and a deep yawn.

"So, Vergil. We still got two portals left to the west, and that _should_ be it if we're quick enough."  
"Indeed."  
"And we're still no closer to finding out what's causing them."  
"I suppose a demon forged a weapon similar to the Yamato, or infused _itself_ with this power."  
"No shit, genius," Nero and Dante said at the same time. Both demon hunters looked at each other with a smirk, completely ignoring Vergil, who looked like he was considering poisoning their next meal.  
"Definitely back with us, kid," Dante chuckled fondly. "You got us scared for a bit."  
"You know I'm stronger than that!"  
"Your old man sure does."

Nero turned, surprised. Vergil's expression was unreadable as he got up, the Yamato in hand. "Let's focus on the mission," the older twin mumbled, leaving the van, head held high.

Nero still smiled to himself, knowing that his father was terrible at expressing his feelings. But apparently Vergil had acknowledged his strength, even if it was just because he had survived the flu, and that was a good start.

***

A few days later, Nero propped his feet up as Nico started the engine. He started coughing and let out a desperate groan when he finally managed to breathe, a good minute later.

"Urgh I'm fucking _sick_ of this!"  
"Weak," Nico teased him.  
"Fuck you, I'm just-"

He started coughing again when Nico blew some cigarette smoke in his face. He was about to hit her or something, screw their safety, when suddenly the lit end of the cigarette fell off, cut neatly from the rest of it. Nero turned just in time to see Vergil pushing the Yamato back in its sheath. Nico chose not to argue over that, but she obviously looked annoyed, and Nero huffed a bit. Nice. He had no idea how his father had managed to reach the cigarette from where he was without even getting up, but whatever, Vergil was a man of many mysteries and this was just one more they could add to the pile.

"Anyway, I'm not _weak_!" he protested at Nico, deciding not to comment on the much appreciated gesture from his father. "I kicked that portal-making demon's ass in one sword strike!"  
"That guy had no defenses and you beheaded him," Dante chimed in, lying down on the couch with a magazine covering his face. "It was like activating easy mode."  
"Okay, you know what?! There were actually-"

He started coughing yet again, so much so that he felt dizzy by the end of it. He still didn't miss Dante yelping in pain at the blue Summoned Sword that had suddenly appeared and stabbed him.

"OW! Vergil, what the Hell?!"

The older twin shot him a very unimpressed look before he glanced at Nero, who had turned to see what was happening in the back. The Devil Hunter grinned and turned back to a more normal position. He actually really liked his father taking his side for once.

They were done with the mission and they could finally go home. Despite the fact that being sick was terrible, Nero still considered it a small victory that his father was making the trip back with them in the van although he could just open a portal and go home on his own immediately. Was he worried about him still coughing? Maybe, maybe not. Whatever the case was, he was there, and he had acknowledged Nero's strength.

He got comfortable in his seat and closed his eyes. When his lungs would be done making him suffer, he'd ask his father to teach him a few techniques of his. He may not be able to pull off all of them since he didn't have amazing warping skills, but he'd try his best to learn them still. He had kind of already proven his strength, so. With some luck and effort on his part, maybe Vergil would accept passing down some of his combat techniques to him.

**Author's Note:**

> Full disclaimer: I wrote this because I've caught the flu myself a month ago and had to go to work every single day I was feverish (we're seriously understaffed right now), and it was terrible. My lungs are still recovering from it. I have the _worst_ immune system.


End file.
